(_Sermon to the Young._)
xxxviii. 18, 19. _For the grave cannot praise Thee, &c._
This is part of Hezekiah's song of praise to God. He was very ill. A
good man, yet rather afraid of death; certainly very anxious to live.
When we are strong and full of life, it is easy to talk of braving
all worldly sorrows; but when the time comes for us to prove our
words, many who are now in heaven have said, "Spare me a little
before I go hence and be no more seen." In what affecting terms did
Hezekiah bewail his sickness! "I said, in the cutting off my
days. . . . I shall not see the Lord," in His holy sanctuary on
earth; "I shall behold man no more;" never again behold the human
face divine, never meet again the welcoming smile of child or friend.
God heard Hezekiah's prayer, took pity upon him, turned back the
sundial of his life fifteen years. The good king rejoiced in this
gift of lengthened life: "The grave cannot praise Thee," &c.
Let us follow out this rejoicing of the king, this setting forth the
advantages of the living above the dead. 1. The living are in
possession of the time which is given to make reconciliation with God
and secure an everlasting interest. We are all by nature strangers to
God, enemies to Him in our mind and inclination. We are defiled and
guilty creatures; this is the hour of cleansing, whilst the fountain
stands open in which our sins may be washed away (2 Cor. vi. 2). We
are by nature utterly unfit for heaven; this is the day of repentance
as well as of pardon. At the summons of death we must go, whether
prepared or unprepared, holy or unholy, hoping or despairing. While
your hearts were unholy, your death, had it happened, must have been
dreadful. Let those who have improved this gift of life to make their
reconciliation with God highly value it, and magnify its important
advantages with all the gratitude and zeal of the king of Judah.
2. Life is a precious and golden gift, because it affords a field for
increasing in good works. We are required to be "zealous of good
works." _Zealous;_ not to touch a good work as if we were afraid of
burning our fingers. Such works "are good and profitable to men." The
days and years of life should be numbered by the multitude of good
works, as by the revolutions of the earth. Lost and wasted time
should not come into the account of life. Ah! if we reckoned thus,
what a shrinking and contracting would take place! A Roman emperor, a
heathen, used to say, "I have lost a day," if he had not done any
good action in it. How many are there who live to no purpose at all,
whom the world will not miss when they are gone! How many live to
wicked purposes, and the world is glad to get rid of them! Some are
mere cumberers of the ground; they bear the Christian name, but how
different from Christ! "The night cometh," said He, "in which no man
can work." "Ye are the light of the world," said Christ to His
disciples, and how dark would this earth be were there no disciples
of Christ upon it! "Ye are," said He, "the salt of the earth;" if the
salt were gone, what corruption of manners, what filthy
communications, what odious practices would overspread and defile
society! One child of God in a family is like the ark in the house of
Obed-Edom, of which we read, "The Lord hath blessed the house of
Obed-Edom," &c.; or like Joseph in Potiphar's house, of whom we read,
"The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake," &c. We may
follow up this idea, and say if one child of God is so great a
blessing in a family, many may bless and save whole cities and
nations. We find this to have actually been the case from what is
said of Noah, Daniel, and Job. God said three thousand years ago,
"Righteousness exalteth a nation," and it is equally certain that
wickedness overthroweth it. In all the Old Testament history, we see
how He ascribes prosperity to the keeping of His commandments, and
ruin to the breaking of them. We cannot suppose that it is in any way
different now; that the Ruler of the Universe is in slumber, or,
being awake, has altered the rules of His government. Life, and
especially youthful life, is the time for good works and good
actions; not one can be done in the grave.
CONCLUSION.--Let young persons value life. It has been said that we
"take no note of time save from its loss;" let not this be said of
you. It is the gift of _time_ that alone places you in a position to
profit by all other gifts. Make good use of life; of this its
pleasant morning; be obedient, be diligent, love each other, avoid
quarrelling and evil words. Live so that the end will conduct you to
a world where, though time will be no longer, life will continue for
ever.--_George Clark, M.A.: Sermons,_ pp. 239-246.